“So how do you two know each other?” Jess was hoping for some juicy story, but Kristian was certainly going to deny her that!
“We used to work together back home, that’s all,” Kristian paused for a second and then turned his attention back to Jess. “Jess, can I talk to you in the kitchen please?”
When they got into the kitchen, Jess looked up at him with concern “I’m sorry Kris, I thought…”
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted her. “I’m sorry I gave you a hard time back there. Listen it’s just, Kieran and I, we have some stuff to talk about and it may be best if you weren’t around. I just don’t want you to get involved if it gets heated, okay?”
“Kristian, are you in some sort of trouble?” she asked, worry creeping ever deeper into her face.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. But please, just give us an hour, okay? For me?”
Unconvinced but not wanting to upset him further, she kissed him on the cheek then headed for her room, where a few moments later she emerged with her coat on, and swiftly left the flat. Now the two men were alone at last.
Kristian walked back into the lounge and glared down at Kieran.
“No. The answer is no, Kieran. Jonathon couldn’t persuade me, so what makes you think you can?”
“Jonathon doesn’t know I’m here,” Kieran stood up again and walked towards the window, overlooking the tube station.
“Then why are you here?” Kristian was confused. Surely Kieran was lying.
“We need to talk, Kris. It’s about Oliver. There are things you should know about his death, about the Order. Things no one would want me to tell you, but I just have to.”
Kristian, although still scared of what the truth would do to him, was intrigued. Seeing Kieran again had been a shock but no matter how much he protested against the Order, he wanted so much to know what had happened to his friend. He knew that the Order was the only place he would gain that information. He slowly walked over and stood beside Kieran.
“Okay,” he said softly, “tell me. How did Oliver die?”
“Well, he was on a mission in Berlin investigating Leceth. The mission was designated as a classified reconnaissance. He left for Germany a couple of months ago and no one had heard from him since. He hadn’t once reported in, not through the official channels anyway.”
“Leceth? As in the head of the Council of Tivernal? And what kind of recon?” Kristian could hardly believe that the Order had taken such a bold and dangerous step.
“The Order has been concerned with Leceth’s movements ever since we arrested Sauror. We believe that there is a link between them but we don’t have any evidence and that is partially why Oliver was there. We couldn’t prove that they had a relationship outside of the Council itself. Leceth is the chair of the Council and Sauror was a leading member but they come from different factions. Leceth is a vampire from an ancient line and Sauror was a member of Shadow,” Kieran broke from talking and strode back over to the sofa, where Kristian noticed he had a small brown bag. He unzipped the bag and rummaged for a few seconds and then pulled out a large brown paper folder, bound together with blue elastic straps. “Due to the evidence that you and Oliver found on your first mission, Sauror was convicted of the murder of Anne and Preston. His motives for killing them are still, unfortunately, unclear to us, but the Order believes that his nefarious contacts are connected to Leceth himself.”
“Why did the Order believe Leceth was involved?” As Kristian spoke, he leaned in closer to Kieran.
“Many reasons, but mainly due to some intelligence we obtained from within the Council. Leceth’s rise to the top spot wasn’t as smooth as we were led to believe. In fact, there were many who opposed his appointment. Several months ago, we learned the outcome of the vote that landed him the job. Both vampire seats had voted for him, one of the Vinji and one of the werewolf clans voted for him too. None of the dark covens voted for him. To lead the Council you need more than half the seats to support you, so at least six out of the ten available seats. To many of us at the Order, we were surprised that both Shadow seats ended up voting him in,” Kieran’s expression clearly showed how truly taken aback he was by this.
Kristian however, was not too shocked. He had never really understood the politics of the Council and he didn’t care.
“So, he became the leader, the Shadow voted him in, that’s not so strange to me.”
“Oh, but it is,” sighed Kieran. “Never before have both Shadow members voted for a vampire to be the Chair. The Shadow is made up from the world of man. The relationship between vampire houses and Shadow has never been one of co-operation and friendship,” he spoke so fast that Kristian found it hard to keep up.
“Okay, so they hate each other. But they are both evil,” Kristian still hadn’t made the connection.
“It’s beside the point, Kristian. We know a meeting between Sauror and Leceth took place in which Sauror swore his allegiance to Leceth and said he could get Ghost, the other Shadow member of the Council, to vote the same way. It’s completely unheard of. There have been vampire leaders in the past but they generally got the six seats from the vampires, Vinji and werewolves,” Kieran’s voice raced on.
“Okay, okay calm down,” Kristian was worried that Jess was going to come back and overhear something. “I get it, major conspiracy. So the Order asked Oliver to keep an eye on Leceth and I guess he did, but got caught and what? Leceth had him killed? That doesn’t sound too smart to me, Leceth killing Oliver. If he knew he was being watched then why didn’t he just make a thing of it? The Order isn’t allowed to monitor the chair of the Council and killing Oliver just makes him look even more suspicious.” By thinking and talking about it objectively, Kristian managed to stay emotionally detached from the situation.
“Well, you would think that,” Kieran continued, “I agree, if Leceth did kill Oliver, it makes little sense, but it’s the only thing we have to go on. And Oliver’s death was strange. I use the word strange but what I should say is barbaric,” he hesitantly placed the folder he was holding into Kristian’s hands.
Kristian slowly undid the straps and cautiously opened the folder. Onto the floor slid three photographs of Oliver. Full-colour shots of his corpse floating in a river. Kristian suddenly understood why Kieran had used the word barbaric. His heart filled with rage and fear as he struggled for breath.
“What have they done to him?” Kristian gasped, not wanting a response.
“His heart was removed. We think he was alive during its removal, the autopsy suggested it, but still it’s all a bit sketchy.”
Slamming the photos down, Kristian screamed, “How could they do that to him? Why? Why? The bastards.”
“There is more, Kristian, if you want to hear it?”
“More?” Kristian’s body was unmoving but his heart was pumping faster than ever. “Go on.” His hands covered his face to hide his horror.
“It has been more than two weeks since we believe Oliver lost his life and we have received no sign that his Phoenix has joined with another host. In fact, our seers have not even been able to feel its presence,” for the first time, Kieran’s voice was filled with fear.
Kristian released his hands from his face. How could this be? Usually when a host dies, the Phoenix finds a new body. Feeling utterly bewildered as well as angry, Kristian’s memory took him back to a strange childhood recollection. Jerking it from his mind, he stood up fast.
“Look Kieran, thank you for coming here today and thank you for telling me what you’ve told me. I appreciate you’ve risked a lot to do so, but I need you to leave. I can’t come back, Kieran. I just can’t.”
“What?” Kieran was gobsmacked. “You heard what I said, right? Oliver is dead and his Phoenix-Ethalon is missing? This isn’t any ordinary situation. The Order needs you, you can’t just stay here and hide. It’s not just about you, there are others involved.”
“I can do as I please. I don’t owe them anything, or indeed you,” as he
spoke, he moved Kieran towards the stairway.
Kieran was at a loss for words. He didn’t remember Kristian being so selfish, such a coward. Passing the threshold of the flat, Kieran turned around and spoke to his old friend. “It doesn’t matter what you think you do and don’t owe the Order. What really matters is what you owe to yourself.”
With that, Kristian slammed the door and stood for a few minutes, arms crossed over his chest; his face filled with rage and his heart pumped to the pangs of guilt and pain.
…
- Chapter Five -
Into the Belly of the Beast
Jess sat outside a small, quaint café, one of many that lined the High Street in Angel. Staring down at her empty cup of tea, she pondered how long she had been out of the flat. Looking at her watch she was surprised to see that she had wasted nearly an hour. An hour spent drinking tea and reading newspaper after newspaper, filling the awkward time she was forced to kill while Kristian and his mysterious guest ‘talked’.
Was an hour long enough? she thought. Kristian and Kieran probably had a lot to talk about from what she had gathered. Doubt was spreading through her mind about the decision to let the man into the flat. She remembered the look on Kristian’s face, the one of shock and foreboding. Was she right to let the stranger in? After all, she hadn’t a clue who he was. He seemed like a nice person but from that look of Kristian’s, she was beginning to think she had done the wrong thing.
Still pondering if she had caused her best friend unnecessary heartache, she spent another ten minutes staring at the clock through the window of the café. I think it’s time to go home, she decided.
Had Kieran left yet? She wasted no time with that thought and concluded that she didn’t care. Concern for her friend now overwhelmed her; she needed to make sure he was all right. Leaving the café she paced quickly back to the flat, not really knowing what to expect when she got there. Would they be fighting? Would she return to a bloodbath or just to two old friends catching up, laughing over old memories, with old photo albums strewn over the coffee table, or flicking through photos on Kristian’s computer or phone? She had no idea, although she was sure she had never seen any photo albums belonging to Kristian!
It was no longer than three minutes later when she was at her front door. Unlocking it and opening it gently, she inched her way into the flat. Creeping up the stairs, she listened intently and scanned the hallway for signs of a scuffle. Hearing and seeing nothing, she thought it possible that the two young men had gone out somewhere, perhaps for a drink. She reached the second door at the top of the flat that led the way into the main apartment and opened it, little by little. To her great surprise, Kristian was there, sitting on the floor in front of her.
“Kristian? What happened? Are you okay?” She sat down beside him.
He wasn’t crying, he wasn’t tearful at all, he wasn’t bruised or scratched or, to Jess’s huge relief, hurt in anyway. He was just completely lost in his own thoughts, staring into nothingness and completely unresponsive.
“I take it your friend has gone then?” Jess tried. “Are you okay? You gonna tell me what happened?”
Her unease increased, she shook him really hard “Kristian! Are you okay?” she spoke slowly and forcefully.
Kristian suddenly and abruptly came to. He sat up straight and his face infused with life once more. He turned his head toward Jess. “Sorry, Jess, totally wasn’t with it, when did you get back?” He lifted himself to his feet and walked into the living room.
“Where are you going now?” shouted Jess, following him.
Sitting down on the couch, Kristian flicked the TV on and leant back, obviously not at ease.
“Kristian, are you going to speak to me?” her voice was high with emotion. “I’m worried about you.”
“Hey, it was nothing,” Kristian brushed her off. “He just wanted to catch up and I wasn’t up for building bridges, so he left. Honestly, it’s nothing. Just leave it, please,” his eyes were fixed on the TV the whole time he spoke to her. Turning up the volume with the remote, he seemed to think that the conversation was over. Snatching the remote from his hand, Jess threw it across the room in disbelief and frustration, and sat down beside him on the couch.
“Okay Mr. I-have-no-problems, this ‘friend’ of yours has obviously done or told you something that has flustered you. You don’t have to tell me, but I can sense that you’re upset, that something is wrong, so don’t treat me like an idiot, Kristian. Just understand that I’m concerned about you, will you? I’m your best friend for God’s sake.”
Kristian felt a pang of guilt. He had never seen that look on her face before; a look of mistrust and doubt. They usually talked about anything and everything together: well, almost everything.
There was something he was keeping back from her, but the thing he kept hidden was something he wanted to hide not just from Jess, but from himself. And besides, would she be able to deal with it? He couldn’t even deal with it himself. Did he really want his burden to be hers as well? Then again, maybe she would understand and help him with the difficult decision he had to make. There was silence in the room for ten solid minutes as Kristian considered what to do and what to say. He was rehearsing in his mind the words that should leave his mouth. Jess was sitting sideways to him, arms folded, scrutinising him, anticipating the story he had to tell. She let out a few loud impatient sighs, which he ignored. He just wasn’t sure: was he just putting off telling her or was he dumbstruck by indecision? There was so much to recount. His story, his life and his secret. Could he really just come out with it all now? Spill his secrets right here in the lounge? What would she think? Then in an instant, he just started.
“There’s something important that you need to know about me, about my past,” he exclaimed.
“Whatever it is, I’m here for you,” she said as she kindly placed a hand on his arm.
“You’re thinking drugs. Prostitution, even a stint in jail aren’t you? I only wish it was something that simple.”
“Is it worse?” she looked surprised; she couldn’t imagine her sweet, kind friend getting into any kind of trouble.
“No, it’s not worse, it’s just different; hard to explain, and I don’t think you’ll understand,” Kristian struggled.
“Understand? Kristian, how could you say that? Of course I’ll understand,” Jess couldn’t hide her frustrations as she spoke.
Kristian looked down, searching for the words. “Jess, I’m really sorry but this isn’t any ordinary secret. Once I tell you, there will be no going back. It won’t just change the way you judge me, but the way you look at the world.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Kristian, tell me!” she demanded as she stood up in frustration.
“Okay!” he rose to his feet. “Put simply, I’m a Phoenix!”
She glared at him, confused, “A what?” Her voice was getting higher.
He sat back down, realising that there was no going back now, she would either believe him and help him, or she wouldn’t. “It’s something inside me… It kind of gives me… powers.”
After a few seconds of complete silence, she burst into hysterical laughter. “So it’s drugs then?” she mocked sarcastically. She turned away from him in anger and in a hurt voice she spoke, “If you want to play games with me, that’s fine.”
He rose back to his feet. “I knew I wouldn’t be able get you to understand,” he muttered as he headed for the door.
She turned around quickly, “I’ll bloody understand if you start off by telling me the truth. For Christ’s sake, be honest with me.”
He suddenly and abruptly punched the wall in front of him; she jumped back in shock. “This is me being honest with you. I’m telling you the truth but you’re just not willing or able to hear me out.”
“Fine. Start from the beginning, then? Come on, I’m listening,” she said, uneasy at his outburst.
He walked back into the centre of the room and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll tell you
everything, just promise me that you’ll hear me out, let me finish, then I will answer any questions. You just need to be open-minded, really open-minded.”
“I promise,” she said as she raised her hand.
“No sly comments, no filthy looks, no laughing. Just listen! And when I’m done you can either believe me or not; that’s your call.”
She eyed him suspiciously but knew that she had to give him his chance to explain; she walked back and perched herself back on to the couch, facing him and watching him intently.
“I’m the host to a Phoenix,” he repeated, moving to sit beside her again.
She scanned his face for a sign of deception, but there was none. This left her with one of three conclusions. Either her friend was crazy, telling the truth or an even better liar than she could’ve ever imagined.
“You’re serious?” she whispered.
“Deadly,” he replied.
“So what does it mean? What is it? What’s a Phoenix?” she asked.
“Well,” he started, he hesitated slightly, shocked by her willing tone, “a Phoenix, and wait for this, is an incorporeal being of great power that can only live in this world in a symbiotic relationship with a human host. At least, that’s how it was first explained to me,” he paused for another second. “It’s as complicated as it sounds; it started for me about—”
Jess interrupted. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second. Leave out all the long words. You said something about powers just then.”
He sat up straight and coughed slightly. “I know that you’ve always thought of me as a bit of a wimp, but I’m actually a lot stronger than I look. I heal really fast as well and there’s more.”
“How strong?” she asked suspiciously. Before the words had finished leaving her mouth, Kristian had made his way across the room and effortlessly lifted up the bookcase and held it up with one hand so it touched the ceiling.
The Phoenix Chronicles_Alone in the Light Page 6
